Donating and Trading at Shelf Life

Please check ahead of time to make sure the store is open by checking out the Monthly Calendar page.
BOOKS CANNOT BE LEFT IN THE BUILDING WHEN THE STORE IS CLOSED.
THE BUILDING IS SHARED WITH OTHER TENANTS, EVEN SMALL AMOUNTS IS A FINEABLE LIABILITY.

DROP OFF TIMES are a half hour after the store opens until one hour before the store closes (unless it is a large drop off-see below for instructions). Please do not bring books in right at open or near closing as this is difficult to manage first and last thing.

***Shelf Life is currently phasing out library bound books. These can be brought in, in minimal amounts and in good condition to be offered back out for free. Please email to inquire about bringing in library bound books***

Shelf Life is now accepting donations and trades of puzzles and board games. Condition and other requirements are similar to books- see below.

  • Trades

    UPDATED 6/1/25

    Trades of up to two small or medium sized boxes, or two bags/totes of books that are listed in the accepted section can be dropped off during open hours for books that are in good, clean condition. *No tubs or crates.


    Store credit is issued at 25% of the resell value
    or
    35% for books previously purchased from Shelf Life that still have the original Shelf Life flat dollar price sticker attached to the book.*

    There is no limit to how much store credit someone can have.

    To maintain a balanced inventory, trade credit can used for up to half of the total purchase, with a max of $30 per week.
    Trade credit cannot be used on local author books, merchandise or books sold as “Purchase Only”.

    Trade credit is non-transferable and cannot be used more than once per day.

    *Note: these are books that have sold for $2 or more, with a price (not percentage off). If the sticker has been removed, trade credit will be issued at 25% of a new resell value.

    All trade credit excludes local author books that were previously sold from Shelf Life.

  • Donations

    Donations of up to two small or medium sized boxes, or two bags/totes of books that are listed in the accepted section can be dropped off during open hours for books that are in good, clean condition. *No tubs or crates.

    For larger donations- please make advanced arrangements by emailing Danielle@ShelfLifeBookstore.com If there is not enough space in storage, or if the drop off is at a busy time- unplanned, large drop offs may be declined.

    Donations must be during business hours only- please do not leave donations inside or outside of the building. The building is shared with other businesses and with respect to their work, all donations need to come directly to Shelf Life when I am there to receive them directly from you.
    Please avoid donating books that are listed below.

    Please do not donate boxes that have fillers like newspapers, magazines, file folders, binders, cardboard, packing material or Styrofoam. Not all donations can be resold or are suitable for the free stand- please help limit the heavy work of recycling. If your intention is to recycle books or material, please ask for advice on where to do this.

  • How to bring books in

    Parking on Front Street rather than Riverfront Parkway is best whenever possible. Large/multiple trip loads should come from Front St metered parking.

    If what you are bringing in requires assistance, please come to the store first and let me know. I will assist in bringing books in as soon as time allows (it is a good idea to message or email before you stop in).
    Shelf Life is on the lower level of the building. There are stairs, no elevator. Please do not attempt to carry anything down that the stairs would create a physical risk of any kind for yourself. I will do all the lifting/moving necessary.

    Please leave enough time if you are trading. I will go through the books and give you back what I cannot sell. This will take time based on the number of books you bring in and foot traffic in the store.

    Before and after-hour arrangements can be made for large amounts, and are preferred.

  • Books that can be traded or donated

    Shelf Life accepts paperback and hardcover of the following:

    Fiction:
    Historical
    Contemporary
    cCassics
    Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
    Horror
    Sci-fi/Fantasy
    Modern romance
    Children’s books, all ages

    Non-Fiction
    Current events
    Science - all subgenres
    Up-to-date history
    Philosophy
    Art

  • Books that are not accepted

    Damaged, stained, unclean books. Please check the tops of your books- if they are dusty/moldy/etc- please do not bring these in.
    Books with odors of any kind (pet, smoke, mildew, excessive perfume, etc)
    Books with page foxing (yellowed dots on the page edges), highlighting, underlining, or writing inside (inscriptions are okay).

    Cookbooks
    Textbooks
    Magazines
    Faith-based fiction/non, devotionals, bibles
    “Best of”, quotations, or compendiums
    “For dummmies”
    Animal care/breeding
    Diet/nutrition/lifestyle
    Home brewery/wine making/etc
    Books that came with, but no longer have a dust jacket
    Audio on tape/cd
    DIY/Handyperson
    Dictionaries/encyclopedias/
    Reference sets
    Old romance novels (Harlequin and similar)
    Political commentary
    Books with library binding/ stickers/stamps

    Some authors or subjects that have been previously accepted may be declined based on resell demand.
    Some books may not be accepted based on content and are at the discretion of ownership.

  • Estate Pick up

    Shelf Life offers local estate pick up with some conditions. For more information please email Danielle@ShelfLifeBookstore.com